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If Paul Ryan wants to compete for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, he has a running start in name recognition over some of his possible opponents.

Ryan has been a rising star within the GOP for several years, and as chairman of the House Budget Committee is considered the Republican authority on all fiscal matters. But the national exposure he got as a vice presidential candidate has heightened his profile as the intellectual leader of the party.

"He'll continue to be a leader within the Republican Party," said Jessica Taylor, a senior analyst for the Rothenberg Report, a ...